Things Change
by Jinora
Summary: AU, in which the portals never reopened, leaving the mages magicless and disconnected from their friends. Five years later, three very distant friends reunite to save a world they'd thought they'd lost forever.
1. Wednesday, December 12

**I literally wrote this story months ago, though I didn't want to upload it until now. I really wanted that crisp Holiday feeling to be there when it was read. I'm excited that I finally get to post this! I have a few of the chapters already written or half written, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to post regularly. Just some back up information:**

**This is an AU wherein the portals never opened. The girls are freshly nineteen years old. Adriane and Emily are in their second years of college (Art school for Adriane, and Emily is Pre-Med). Kara, who previously did a year of Law is currently taking a year off due to the discovery that she hates Law and really has no idea what she want's to do with her life. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Wednesday, December 12. 2:37 AM**

"I love this song!" Kara shouted over the music. She took one last sip of her drink—something fruity that she didn't quite care for, and placed the glass back on the table, taking Tiffany and Heather's hands. "Come on, lets dance," she giggled, dragging them onto the dance floor. Shine was one of her favourite clubs—one of the only clubs in downtown Stonehill. It was a warm, colourful environment. Perfect for someone like her. The walls were lined with vinyl records, and any that weren't were covered with tiny polished mirror tiles. The bartenders were all dressed in neon, stationed under black lights, and the dance floor was tiled with bright flashing lights. It was the kind of place that played songs from the 80s and 90s, and Kara liked the fact that she could rock out to the Spice Girls in an environment like this. Stonehill wasn't exactly known for it's nightlife, but out of the few clubs they had, this was definitely the best. Even Adriane had fun (on nights where Kara could drag her away from school).

Kara pulled Tiffany and Heather into the middle of the dance floor, moving along to the beat. Kara was an alright dancer, but Tiffany was amazing, as usual. She was a little jealous.

Kara winced as a _screeeeeeech _echoed throughout the club, sending shivers down her spine and twisting her stomach in knots. "Did you hear that?" Kara yelled over the music.

"What?" Heather yelled back.

Again, Kara heard the screech, this time louder, and longer. She covered her ears, stopping in place.. Was she the only one who could hear it? "I-I'm going to the bathroom," she yelled, stumbling through the crowd towards the woman's washroom. By the time she got there she was doubled over, hands on her head as the noise continued. Kara opened the door, relieved to find only silence within. Dropping her hands, she turned on the nearest sink, splashing cool water over her face. What was going on? Why was she the only one who could hear that?

Kara glanced up to the mirror, but no reflection was there to greet her. Only an endless network of stars. Kara leaned forward, eyes wide. She raised a hand, pressing two fingers to the glass. The surface rippled, then went black. She took a step back, taking in the image in it's entirety.

* * *

"_Warrior_," Adriane opened her eyes, taking a good look around the glade. "_Warrior,_" the voice came again, wafting around her, thick and enthralling. Pulling her down down down.

"_You left us,_"

"I-I didn't mean to!"

"_Run with us,_"

"I can't move," Adriane replied, struggling against the fuzzy velvet blackness that surrounded her.

"_Help us,_"

"I-"

"_We need you, Warrior_,"

"I... I can't help you," she muttered. "I can't... I can't breath," She could feel herself being dragged under a thick and syrupy sea. Waves crashed above her, loud and awesome like thunder. Black water filled her lungs and obscured her vision. She must have been pretty far under by now. There was so much pressure. She could feel it in her chest. It was... warm.

Maybe this was for the better. Maybe this time she'd just drift into the Sea of Tranquillity.

_The Sea of Tranquillity isn't even a real sea_ she reminded herself, but even that thought seemed useless. What did she need thoughts for when she was on the Moon? Another crazy notion.

Either way the wolves could have her, because she was done.

Moving was difficult, the world around her suddenly soft and frothy. Her vision was fuzzy, but she was sure that she could see glittering pink bubbles. The smell of cotton-candy, gumballs, and something distinctly sugary overloaded her senses, making her cringe. In the distance she could hear the faint sound of music, coming closer...

Closer...

If you could call that music. God it was annoying. What was that?

_I'm a Barbie girl. In a Barbie wooooorld. Life in plastic. It's fantastic!_

Adriane gasped, sitting straight up in bed. She sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs to bursting. There was a very real fear of _running out of air._

_I'm a Barbie girl. In a Barbie wooooold. Life in plastic. It's fantastic!_

Adriane reached over to her bedside table. She lifted her cellphone from the bottom shelf and examined the glowing screen on the top. KARA it flashed in an obnoxious shade of pink. She groaned, pressing the accept button.

"What?" her voice sounded weak, almost foreign to her own ears. She hoped that Kara wouldn't notice.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" was Kara's hurried response.

"Yeah,"

"Oh, I-"

"No, it's fine," she interrupted, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. "I was having a bad dream. What's up?"

"The most messed up thing just happened to me,"

Adriane raised an eyebrow for no one's sake but her own. "What?" she asked dryly.

"So, I was at that club, Shine, you know the one I brought you to last week?" she spoke a million miles a second, Adriane wondered where she got all of her energy at this time of night.

"I remember," she shivered, pulling the blankets tight around her.

"I was there with Heather and Tiffany. We were dancing when all of a sudden there was this loud, high pitched, screechy noise!" she chattered, voice raising to a sharp octave that made Adriane wince.

"Mhmm," she yawned, eyes shifting towards her alarm clock. 3:06am. Damn you, Kara.

"But, like, I was the only one who could hear it. So I go to the washroom, and when I get there it's completely silent, which is nice because by the time I get there my head is killing me. I splash some water on my face and I'm just about to go back when I look up in the mirror. Only, it's not a mirror any more. The whole thing's this dark blue and there are stars and stuff everywhere. Like... Like a fairy map! I go to touch the mirror, and then it just goes black! Like this kind of matte black colour. Like you know that eyeshadow I lent you?"

"Yes, yes. I get it. What else?"

"That's it," she replied unceremoniously. "I left after that,"

"I hate to be the bearer of skepticism here, but did you ever think that maybe you were having an Aura Headache? You did say that they run in your family," Adriane pulled aside her quilt. Even with the central heating, it was cold in the winter. Shivering, she kicked her feet into her slippers, and pulled a blanket over her shoulders.

"I dunno, it was really intense,"

"Yeah well," Adriane made her way to the kitchen, before filling the kettle with water. "That's my guess. Ask Emily?"

"Nah, she'll probably just say the same thing. Miss Pre-Med,"

Adriane smirked, hoisting herself onto the counter top. She crossed one leg over the other, as she waited for the water to boil. A watched pot never boils, or so the saying went. Adriane yearned for the time when she could just _zap _the kettle, and have it boiling, though she'd never admit it to her friend.

"I already tried calling her anyways, she didn't pick up,"

"She _does_ have an exam tomorrow morning," Adriane glanced at the clock once more,"Or, I guess, this morning..."

"So, what was your dream about? Maybe it had something to do with what happened to me?" Kara replied a little too enthusiastically.

"Uh, it's just like, this reoccurring nightmare I get. Don't worry about it," _Minus the Barbie Girl part_ she thought, dismissing the notion with a shrug. She glanced out the kitchen window, eyes wide as she took in the familiar landscape.

"Well, what if someone's trying to send us a message?"

She wanted to tell her that no one was trying to send them a message. That the portals were closed, and that there was no way of opening them. "How did you get home in the snow?" she asked instead.

"Huh?"

"It's snowing,"

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review!**


	2. Wednesday, December 12 4:33 PM

**Wednesday, December 12. 4:33 PM**

"That snowstorm sure hit hard, huh?" Emily commented, taking a sip of her chai tea latte. She sat in one of the large comfy chairs in their usual Starbucks.

Adriane pulled her scarf tighter around her neck, nestling her chin into the soft green fabric as she settled into the chair across from her. "Yeah," she shivered, gripping her peppermint mocha. "It's strange... It doesn't usually snow this much," she muttered.

"It has been really cold this year..." Emily mused, looking out the window in a way that could only be described as longingly.

"That's an understatement," Adriane bemoaned with a shiver. "How are you not freezing?" she asked, gesturing to Emily's outfit of jeans and a single sweater. She didn't understand how Emily could be fine in so little clothing, while she herself was freezing in layers upon layers of cardigans, gloves, and a scarf.

"Huh?" Emily asked distractedly, as if focusing on something way off in the distance.

"I asked 'how are you not freezing?" Adriane repeated.

"Oh, it snows more in Colorado than it does here," she explained, tearing her eyes away from the window "I guess I just never got the cold out of my bones," she said in a way that somehow reminded Adriane of a cowboy.

"My, aren't you poetic?" Adriane raised an eyebrow, and Emily grinned. "How was your exam?"

"Great," Emily rolled her eyes. "I had to dissect a fetal pig,"

Adriane grimaced. "Um, ew,"

"Yeah, like, three people fainted," she added breezily. "It wasn't too bad though,"

"Hmm," Adriane hummed, taking a sip from her drink. She imagined Emily's sure and focused demeanour. They'd been science partners in high school, and she'd carried the team through dissections.

"So, now I just have one class tomorrow and an exam next week and I'm done for the semester," the red head informed her. "What about you?"

"I have a class tonight and an exam tomorrow," Adriane took a gulp of her drink, "Art History," her least favourite class.

"Oh! Did Kara call you this morning?" Emily asked, suddenly alert.

"Oh, yeah. She had an Aura Migraine or something. Must have been pretty bad, she was clubbing when it happened,"

"Ouch," Emily grimaced.

"Yeah," Adriane looked down at her cell phone. "Anyways, I have class in half an hour. Tell Kara I said 'hi'," She stood, tossing her backpack over her shoulder.

"Kay. Oh! Do you wanna see a movie later tonight? Like, just the three of us?"

"Nah, I can't. My class goes on pretty much all night.

"Tomorrow?"

"Errr," Adriane thought, "I have a band meeting tomorrow. Are you free Friday? We can have a sleepover in the manor and everything,"

"Just like old times," Emily grinned.

"Yeah... Just like old times..."

* * *

Adriane tilted her head, sketching a quick outline, before smudging the charcoal with the tip of her middle finger. Still life. Worst. Assignment. Ever.

She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. "That's great, Adriane,"

She grinned, turning towards the voice, expecting to see Ms. Allen, the kindhearted professor that taught her drawing class. She was shocked, however, to find that the woman who stood just inches behind her was not her teacher, but another, more sinister being. A lightning bolt of silver split this woman's long blonde hair. Green, reptilian eyes looked Adriane up and down. Adriane felt the colour drain out of her face as she gasped for breath, but her lungs wouldn't respond.

"Is everything alright, sweetheart?" her blood red lips curled to reveal sharp vampire fangs. Adriane rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, smearing charcoal over one cheek. When she pulled her hands away from her face she was relieved to find Ms. Allen, in all of her forty-two-year-old glory.

"I'm just a little... distracted,"

Ms. Allen adjusted her horn-rimmed glasses, her keen, artistically trained eyes scanning the page before them. "Yeah, I know, still life sucks," Adriane smiled a little. Ms. Allen was by far her favourite professor. With greying hair, an addiction to red lipstick and animal print, she was more than just a little bit eccentric. "But I'm of the mind that it's best to drill in the basics. The rest will come much more naturally that way,"

"Yeah..." Adriane agreed thoughtfully. That still didn't make the assignment any more exciting.

"Are you having trouble with this medium?" She asked, suddenly serious.

"Ah-" Adriane turned back to her sketch. "Yeah, it's just kind of... finicky,"

"Here," she pulled out a sketch pad, "If you do something like this..." she began demonstrating techniques.

"Wow, thanks, Ms. Alle-"

"Please, Adriane. What did I say at the beginning of the term? Call me _Miranda_," The name reverberated in Adriane's mind, bouncing off of the walls of her skull and distorting with every repetition. Adriane froze for a moment, "Is everything alright?" she asked, a deep frown crossing her wrinkled-but pretty-face.

"Y-yeah," Adriane stuttered, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, I'm just tired,"

"Ah, well. Don't be afraid to ask if you need any help," the woman smiled sweetly before moving on to the next student.

Adriane sat for a long moment, rubbing her arms to facilitate circulation.

* * *

**Yeeeees chapter two! Right on time! I feel like it's a little bit ambitious to say that I'd like to post the chapters on the right dates. But maybe! (Maybe)**


	3. Thursday, December 13

**Thursday, December 13. 9:07 AM**

"Which of the following is not a viral disease?" Emily huffed, tapping the eraser of her expertly sharpened #2 pencil against the desk. Biology was her favourite subject, but after a week of exams, her brain felt like it was going to explode, or implode, or spontaneously combust or something. Either way, she was exhausted.

With a yawn, she coloured in the circle that read 'C. Diphtheria'. When in doubt, pick 'c', but she knew the answer anyway.

* * *

Adriane stared at the clock, watching the little hand move with every second that passed. She sighed, glancing back down at her Art History Exam. 'In what country did the Renascence mainly occur?'

"Bleh," Adriane wrote her answer in the space provided. She didn't care where the renascence occurred, and she didn't care when, either. If it hadn't been a mandatory course, she wouldn't have even taken Art History. But it was.

Adriane sighed, not for the last time, and started on the next question. She was truly thankful that this was her last year taking Art History.

* * *

Emily grinned to herself, answering the questions with ease. She may have been drained, but this practice exam was going better than expected. She filled in another bubble, moving onto the next, and final multiple-choice question. She put the pencil down, pressing harder than expected as dizziness hit her like a wrecking-ball.

All at once everything was fuzzy, her vision swam and her head pounded. She stood, legs trembling, and made a break for the door. She needed water, or air.. The fear of vomiting in front of her entire Bio class was her motivation. She reached for the doorknob, the world around her blurring, and finally, going dark.

* * *

**Thursday, December 13. 6:22 PM**

"Sooo... I was thinking, like, what about a Thousand Years? You know, that Christina Perri song?" Maenyn twirled a drumstick, waiting patiently for the approval of her band-mates. She rocked comfortably at the foot of Adriane's bed, bouncing lightly on the memory-foam mattress.

"Bleh," Adriane couldn't help but grimace "Isn't that that song from Twilight?"

"I know, but like," the brunette shot Adam—who was too busy snooping through a sketch book to take notice—a pleading look, "Twilight's super popular—everyone knows the song. If we're playing a Winter Formal we gotta have some recognizable songs on the roster,"

"Isn't it a bit sad for Winter Formal?" Jillian, rhythm guitarist and lyricist extraordinaire, commented in her ever-present British accent.

"No!" Maenyn jumped up passionately, "I think it's sweet! Besides, it can be one of our slow songs! And Adriane, your voice is totally perf-"

"I don't want to sing it," she snapped from her spot in front of the closet. "Besides, I don't know the guitar part,"

"If we do it acoustically then we only need one guitar," Jillian began, picking at her nails "That just leaves you the vocals bit,"

"We _do_ need a slow song," Adam commented thoughtfully, still flipping through the sketchbook shamelessly.

"Give me that!" Adriane snapped, ripping the book from out of his hands. She recognized the cover instantly, it was one of the the books she'd used in high school. It had taken her little less than a month to fill, and she dreaded it's underdeveloped contents. Just the thought of someone going through her old sketchbooks-of which there were many-made her face flush with embarrassment.

Adam continued his thought casually, "All those in favour of playing A Thousand Years at the Winter Formal say 'aye'"

A chorus of 'aye's sounded around Adriane. She huffed, still gripping the metal bindings of the sketchbook. "Fine! We'll play the stupid song,"

"What do you have against love songs, anyway?" Jillian asked, swishing her honey-blond pony tail.

"I don't have anything against love songs," Adriane began, turning an accusing eye towards their drummer. "I do, however, have something against Maenyn's taste in music,"

"Hey!" Maenyn said, sitting up straight. Dislodging the pillow she had been leaning on, she through it towards Adriane with great precision.

The pillow hit her square in the face. Adriane clenched her fists, chucking the pillow at Maenyn with all the maturity of an eight year old. Maenyn raised her arms in defence and prepared herself for retaliation when Adriane's cell phone rang.

"I gotta take this," she chirped, dodging the puffy projectile as she reached for the phone. "It's Emily," she told them, standing. "Hello?" Adriane answered, making her to way out to the hallway.

"Something seriously weird is going on," came Emily's hurried voice.

"What's wrong?"

"I just spent the entire day in the hospital, didn't even finish my last class,"

"What?!" Adriane practically yelled. "What happened?"

"I was in class when I got this really awful feeling," she said, "It was like this horrible, sickening headache, but also-like-this feeling in my stomach,"

"Well, what did the doctors say?" Adriane asked.

"Well, obviously they didn't find anything wrong with me," Emily snapped.

"Obviously?" Adriane questioned with a hint of scepticism.

"It wasn't just some sort of strange one-day flu," Emily sighed, frustrated with Adriane's non-believing disposition. "It was like, back when we still had our magic. It was the feeling that I got when an animal was hurt," she explained, voice shaking with every syllable.

"Are you sure?" Adriane turned away from the door, lowering her voice.

"Yes, I'm sure!It was really strong. Worse than I can ever remember feeling it," she sounded exhausted, "It was awful,"

"Do you wanna come over or something?" Adriane offered, leaning on the wall, she pulled the door shut, trying to act as casual as possible and hoped that her band-mates hadn't over heard.

"No, I just want to go to bed," Emily said.

"You and Kara should come over tomorrow. She did say that she thought that the thing that happened the other day meant something," she told the red head, biting down on her thumb nail.

"What thing?" Emily asked.

"That Aura Migraine" Adriane kicked herself. She should have listened to Kara. Instead she was too busy trying _not _to get her hopes up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" came Emily's muted reply. She sounded almost hurt.

"I guess I just wrote it off as an Aura Migraine, I'm sorry," Adriane apologized halfheartedly. She had every right to be skeptical "You two should come over tomorrow morning,"

"My mom has the car tomorrow," she sounded as if she might cry.

"I can pick you guys up, I guess. What time?"

* * *

Nakoda awoke with a start, breath clouding before her eyes. Was the furnace off? In this weather? She rolled, pulling the blankets from her body. Gran shivered, pushing her feet into her slippers. She made her way to her bedroom door, pulling it open with ease. She stared down the hallway, eyes widening. From her spot at the end of the hall she could make out the image of the front door, left carelessly agar. Snow blew into the house, piling innocently just inside.

"Adriane?" Gran called, rushing towards her granddaughter's bedroom. The door-which Adriane was in the habit of keeping closed at night-was open. Shivering, Gran stepped inside. Adriane was gone, not for the first time, of course, but something was different.

Gran gathered the blanket from the end of Adriane's bed, turning to make her way towards the front door. She put on her shoes, noting that Adriane's hiking boots were filled with snow, the others remained untouched.

She squinted, easily finding Adriane's foot prints in the snow. She followed them into the forest, winding a steady and direct path into the field beside Deer Meadow.

"Little Wolf," she called, spotting the girl, a small speck of black in the never-ending world of white. Gran trudged across the field, approaching the middle where her granddaughter stood. Despite the vicious wind and snow that fell in large clumps, she remained untouched. There were no flakes in her hair, nor did her hair flutter in the wind.

"Little Wolf,"

Adriane looked up in a daze, unable to comprehend her surroundings. She looked pale, almost sickly.

"Little Wolf," Gran repeated, gently shaking her entranced granddaughter.

Adriane blinked. Once. Then twice. She gasped, clutching her arms as if the cold only just began to effect her. Only now did her breath begin to cloud in front of her face. The wind blew, tossing her hip-length hair into a cloud of black.

"Gran?!" she shivered, "w-what am I doing out here!?" she asked, suddenly aware of her surroundings. Adriane looked down at her bare feet. "It's so c-c-c-cold!"

"I know, dear," Gran replied, draping the blanket over Adriane's shoulders. "The forest was calling out to you,"

Adriane nodded, eyes wide with bewilderment, as if she understood. She didn't, of course, but somehow she felt like she could almost taste the true meaning.

"It was calling to me too," the older woman said in a wistful tone.

Adriane took in the forest around her. Snow fell from the milky-lavender sky. It must have been late into the night-or morning- and yet, it still seemed light out. The trees that surrounded her were barren, only snow dressed their branches. Everything was still-save for the falling flecks of white-there were no animals. No birds.

"Something is happening in the spirit world," Gran added as calm as ever.

"What?! What's going on in the spirit world?" Adriane blurted.

Gran was silent for a long moment, staring at Adriane with dark eyes that were identical to her own. "Come, let's get you inside," she said instead, sweeping her arm around Adriane's shoulders.

* * *

**Gosh. I haven't updated in so long D: I started school at the beginning of this month, and now I can only write two days a week. So sad. ):**

**So there's a lot of stuff going on in this chapter. The beginning may seem somewhat choppy, but I was trying to draw a parallel between what Emily was doing and what Adriane was doing at that time. I hope it doesn't come across too awkwardly. I obviously havn't been flexing my writing muscles very often /: ANYWAY. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and of course: Rate and Review :3**


	4. Friday December 14 10:25 AM

**Friday December 14. 10:25 AM**

Adriane pulled into the long, paved driveway, parking the truck beside the Fletcher's tiny green Volvo. The car seemed dwarfed in comparison to the Charday's burgundy pick up. Adriane checked her phone, and sent Emily a text message. She put her hands over the heaters and awaited a reply. It had snowed another six centimetres over night. The buzz of her phone's vibration alerted her of a reply. She retrieved her phone from the dashboard, scrolling through her messages. She had one unread text message, from Emily.

_I'll be right out._

Adriane didn't bother to respond. Instead she turned to the driver's side window, contemplating last night's events. With her finger, she traced the shape of a tree in the condensation. She didn't remember anything from last night. The time between when she went to bed to when Gran found her in the Portal Field was empty. There was nothing there. No memories, no half-remembered dreams. Gran explained everything from her end, but what was she really doing out there? Had the forest really called to her? Whatever that meant. Was it some sort of dreamwalking state? Was the spirit world trying to contact her, despite her current magicless condition?

A tap at the passenger's side window pulled her from her reverie. Adriane leaned across the seats, manually unlocking the door.

Emily opened the door with little effort, stuffing a huge mint-green backpack into the back of the cab. She slid across the seats with ease, and Adriane leaned in to hug her.

"You okay?" she squeaked under the pressure of Emily's crushing embrace.

"Yeah... yeah I'm okay," Emily said. She pulled away, settling into the passenger's seat. "How was your night?"

"I'll tell you about it later," Adriane replied, shoulder-checking as she pulled out of the driveway. They drove in silence, partly because there was nothing to say, but mostly out of comfort. Kara's house was on the other side of town; the good side of town, which was about four blocks away from the bad side of town. Stonehill was not the bustling city of it's sister, Allentown. Adriane pulled into the driveway of the Davies' house, which looked immaculate, even with all of the snow. The car-port and walk-ways were meticulously shoveled and salted.

Adriane took out her phone once more, sending yet another text message, this time to Kara. The blonde came bouncing out of the door a moment late. She wore a fuzzy white sweater that was almost _too _white, and a pair of faux fur-trimmed moccasins that made Adriane gag. Emily slid over to the middle seat as Kara entered the car, shoving her large Lulu Lemon tote into the cab with them. As if it wasn't squishy enough as it was. It was silent for a long moment before:

"Kara, hasn't anyone ever told you that leggings aren't pants?" Emily asked, referring to her floral leggings.

"These are sweat pants!"

Adriane glanced over, "No... they're not," she said with a giggle.

"Whatever, they're comfy," Kara insisted.

"Mmmmhm," Emily agreed, but secretly wondered how anything so form-fitting could be 'comfy'.

It was silent again, but not for long, as Kara pulled a CD from her tote. She slid it into the player. The radio was broken, but the cassette and CD players worked fine, and both girls kept CDs on them for just such an occasion.

"_Damn, Damn, Daamn. What I'd do to have you here, here, here. I wish you were here," _blared from the speakers, a little too loudly.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Adriane admonished, violently stabbing the eject button with her index finger. The CD slid from the dashboard console, severing the chorus of the fluffy pseudo-punk song that had previously infected the truck's cab.

"Hey!" Kara exclaimed from the passenger's seat. "I just put that on,"

"We are not listening to that crap," Adriane shot back from the driver's side, gripping the steering wheel. "I hate Avril Lavigne," she grumbled under her breath, adjusting the heat to full blast.

Kara glared at the brunette, reaching behind Emily's head to slap her on the shoulder.

"Hey, no abusing the driver!" Adriane snipped, narrowing her eyes in return. "This is _my _truck, we listen to what I say we listen to. Next time you offer to drive—or better yet, pay for gas—you can pick what we listen to,"

"Fine," Kara conceited with a roll of her eyes. She leaned her head in one hand, scowling at the swiftly moving scenery like a sulking child.

"Here, I have something we can listen to," Emily cut the tension like a seasoned expert, turning to dig through her back pack.

She always did have a way of calming any situation. Natural gift, or maybe an over hanging residual effect from her time as the healer mage. If that was the case, then she was lucky. Adriane had kept none of her mage abilities, except for maybe a heightened sense of balance and an other-worldly grace. Nothing the average ballet student couldn't emulate. And as for Kara... well... she'd always been an attention getter.

Emily pulled the blue-green CD case she'd packed from the bag.

"What is it?" Adriane took her eyes off the road for barely a second, observing the case with raised brows.

"Mix CD, mostly folk stuff, Tegan and Sara and the like,"

Adriane nodded in approval, and Emily pushed the disc into the player. Eyes back on the road, Adriane turned a corner expertly. She observed the slick, icy patches of concrete that lay before the vehicle. Of the three, Adriane was by far the best driver. She stopped running when the portals closed. The memories of her bondeds still too fresh to continue the activity. It was a good thing she was naturally slim, because when she turned sixteen, driving replaced her old relaxation routine. Driving was calming, therapeutic, and—the best part—it didn't remind her of anything.

Kara traced circles in the condensation on the window as soothing acoustic tones filled the cab. "Sooo, what's this 'mage meeting' all about? I thought you said that 'the portals are closed and there's no way of opening them,'" she imitated in a stupid sounding voice.

"I guess I was wrong," Adriane replied, pulling into the gravel driveway of the preserve. "Obviously something weird is going on," she put the car into park.

Kara and Emily looked at one another, then back to Adriane. Something must have happened for her to change her stance so suddenly.

Adriane sighed, "I'll tell you guys about it when we get to the library," she put on her gloves and pulled her scarf tighter around her neck before getting out of the car. The girls trekked across the small snow covered area between the cottage and the manor house. Adriane unlocked the door, pushing it open with an audible creek. The group peered inside. The manor was still, and dark, just how they had left it the last time they'd visited-two months ago.

Kara stepped inside, breath pooling in front of her face like a solid cloud. "It's so cold in here," she said with a shiver, "Why can't we do this at your house? It's so quaint and cozy and warm..."

"We can't talk about this stuff around Gran," Adriane said. The woman hadn't gotten off of her case since last night's adventure. She doubted she'd slept at all.

"Oh, pish-posh, she's always talking about magic stones and spirits and shit, she probably already knows," Kara waved a hand dismissively.

The other girls stared at her in disbelief before simply making their way up the stares without saying a word.

"It was a joke. I was joking!" Kara called up the stairs before following them.

They made their way to the library, a path they could have each walked blindfolded.

Emily dropped her bag onto the floor with a thud, collapsing on the over-stuffed brown sofa. Adriane began throwing logs into the fire place.

* * *

**Wow! I feel like I'm really on a role here tonight. I wrote this out, and I feel pretty good about it. About half of it was written a few months ago, the other half was done tonight. I'm quite pleased with the chapter. Nothing really exciting happens, it's pretty dense, and it's a lot of stuff to get through, but I do think that it's an important in between moment. I'm trying really hard to stick to writing every Monday and Wednesday nights. I hope you enjoyed! Rate and Review!**


	5. Friday December 14 11:04 AM

**Friday December 14. 11:04 AM**

Adriane lit the fire with a long-stemmed match.

"Seriously, guys. This isn't the middle-ages," Kara complained, taking a seat next to Emily "We should really invest in getting the central heating fixed,"

Adriane sighed, turning as she sat on the fire-side ledge. "We don't have the funding." she admitted, poking the match into the heart of the logs, igniting a bundle of twigs and paper.

"We should do a fundraiser in the spring," Emily said, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"Yeah! I've got some really great ideas!" Kara said, pulling a baby-blue notebook from her tote bag. No one mentioned that maybe Kara had too much time on her hands since leaving school.

Adriane turned back to the pair on the couch, standing. "I need to tell you guys something," she said as if she hadn't heard the blonde.

Kara frowned, annoyed at the interruption, but the look on Adriane's face was downcast and stoney, and Kara couldn't help but wonder what could leave her friend in a state like that.

"I went to bed last night and when I woke up I was in the middle of the portal field," She started, taking a few steps away form the fire. "Gran found me. She said I was in some sort of trance or something,"

"Maybe you were sleep walking?" Emily offered.

"I don't think so," Adriane shook her head, "I've never slept-walked before in my life. Besides... It didn't feel like I was asleep," not that she remembered anything.

Kara asked the obvious question. "So... What does that mean?"

"I'm not really sure," Adriane said, "But, with everything that's happened to you two, and now this... It's gotta be some sort of sign-"

"Something's going on on the Magic Web," Emily concluded.

"Exactly," Adriane nodded. She could feel the heat of the fire on the back of her legs, and was grateful for the warmth. She'd never been used to the cold. Every year around Christmas Time, winter came as somewhat of a surprise to the New Orleans native. Not that she didn't know it was coming, but she rarely got the chance to experience snow as a child, travelling so often. Living in Pennsylvania, Adriane thought herself safe from the biting cold of the northern states. This year was different. She wouldn't be surprised if that itself was a sign of the supernatural.

The fire felt much larger, and hotter than it should have been. A moment later a spray of sparks exploded from the fireplace, sparkling like copper as it fell harmlessly on the hardwood.

Adriane spun, taking a few steps back as flames erupted from the fire place.

Emily and Kara stood, jumping up to stand on either side of their companion. Adriane rubbed her eyes. Suddenly she was thirteen again, watching a creature of unimaginable power manifest in the manor's fire place. The memory was vivid and mildly terrifying, but she was not thirteen anymore, and there was something decidedly _off _this time around. The flames settled, coiling into the image of an androgynous figure, about the size of a basket ball. This was not the same firemental that had contacted them years ago, or if it was, it was incredibly weak. Adriane shuddered to think of what that could have meant for the other fairimentals.

"_MagesssssssSsss_" it hissed, like flames being extinguished. A hand of flame motioned for them to come closer. "_Three magesssss will find Avalon, one will follow their heart, one will change utterly and completely, and one will ssssssseeeeee in darknesss,_"

The girls had heard the prophecy time and time again, and couldn't help but exchange glances.

"Y-yes," Emily stuttered as if to confirm their identities.

"_The magic needssssss you,_" it crackled, blinking in and out of existence for a moment.

"Why us?" Kara asked. "W-we don't have any magic left,"

"_Three magesssss will return to ssssssave usssssssss all,_" it hissed, pushing off from its bed of coals, pulling itself across the stone ledge and onto the floor. "_Ssave usssss all,_"

They watched as the creature crawled across the rug, leaving scorch marks and flames in its wake. It was weak, that was for sure, but that didn't stop the fire from spreading.

"_Magesssss, Prepare,_"

Emily dug through her backpack for her water bottle and opened it, flinging its contents at the firemental.

"Emily!" Kara shrieked in horror.

The clump of elemental magic hissed and shrank, disappearing.

"You just killed a fairimental!"

"It would have burnt down the whole manor!" Emily said, though she wasn't quite convinced that she had done the right thing, either.

Adriane just stared in shock. "W-well maybe it isn't dead," she offered hopefully. "I mean, fairmentals, they're magical beings right? Y-you probably just sent it back,"

The girls shared a solemn glace. No one dared ask what it meant if she was wrong.

"W-what do you think it meant by 'prepare'?" Kara asked.

"I think," Emily began, hefting her backpack over her shoulder, "It means we're going back through the portal,"

"Or maybe something's coming here," Adriane offered numbly, staring at the carpet as something akin to shame and fear wafted over her.

"How can we 'prepare' for something if we don't even know what it is?" Kara asked, but was met with a long silence.

"I don't know, but obviously, some one needs us," Emily stated, rational as ever, "When I had my... _episode _last night, it felt like there were animals that were injured. I'll bet you anything that that feeling came from _over there_,"

"But even if it was, there's no way to open the portal... from..." Adriane stopped, eyes narrowing as she stared at Kara.

Emily gaped, eyes wide and lips parted slightly. "Kara," she muttered and pointed.

"What?" Kara raised an eyebrow, "Do I have something on my face?" Adriane pointed as well. Kara followed her friends' gaze to a spot over her shoulder.

"Meep-eep," Perched coyly in the nook of her shoulder was a fairy wraith, impossibly beautiful, it bathed her face and hair in a pale blue light. "Maaaaaaageeeeees," the tiny girl sang with a sugary grin.

Kara gasped, hands flying to her mouth and she stumbled backward. The tiny humanoid tumbled off of her shoulder, but caught herself in mid air.

"Maaaaageeeees," they heard another sing-song a wraith played with Adriane's long hair.

The room filled with light as wraiths of every pastel colour materialized.

"Maaaaaaages,"

"Mages,"

"Mages!"

Thousands of wraiths filled the room, each relaying the same message. Some sang, and some _screamed. _Some flew right up to the girls, whispering their names and giggling dangerously. Pin points of colour surrounded them in a hurricane of lights. A crescendo of voices collided in a deafening song.

"Okay, we get it. You got our attention," Adriane yelled brazenly.

The wraiths giggled, this time another word shook the foundations of the room.

"Warrior,"

"Ooooooo, Warrior!" The tiny creatures oooed and ahhhed at the girl in black. Adriane gulped. She hadn't identified with that word since the portals closed.

Another wraith caught a lock of Kara's hair, examining the strands as if examining fine jewels. "Blazing star," it chirped. All eyes were on Kara, as another fairy made eye contact with Emily. The tiny glowing wraith winked, then giggled before singing her very own title: "Healer,"

Chattering to themselves, the wraiths began turning in a dizzying tornado around the trio. They moved with a water-like quality, moving faster and faster until finally filing into the hall. They moved as one, pouring out of the door way and down the stares. As the trail of wraiths began to dwindle, Adriane was the first to follow. Emily and Kara were close behind.

The girls made their way into the hall, down the stairs, and—without bothering to close the door—into the woods. The wraiths danced their way through the trails, marking a glowing path to the portal field.

Adriane stopped short, taking a deep breath at the entrance to the field. "Uf," Adriane gasped as someone bumped into her, somehow relieved to find that it was Emily.

"Sorry," Emily muttered.

The mages gazed into the field where even more wraiths had gathered. Taking deep breaths, they took their steps in unison. The wraiths dissipated as they approached, and soon they were in the middle of the field.

"I feel something," mumbled Emily.

"So do I," Adriane said, taking a few steps forward.

"Well, I don't feel anything," Kara said, she tossed her head, flicking her perfect blond ponytail in the air.

Adriane rolled her eyes, exhaling a deep sigh. She spun to face them, a serious look on her strong features. "Gran told me that the forest was calling out to me. That it was calling out to her," she turned her head, eyeing the spot in the air where the portal used to open. "Something must being going on on the other side,"

"Who do you think's trying to open the portal?" Kara asked no one in particular.

"I don't know, but it doesn't feel good," Adriane said.

"The portal must be opening soon," Emily mused, "Why else would they bring us here?"

"Well, we can't just camp out out here, it's like, below fifty and in case you hadn't noticed, I'm wearing _leggings_." Kara stared at her nails petulantly.

Emily snorted, but agreed, "Kara's right, that could be days from now, and I don't think any of us are equipped for camping in this weather,"

"Oh, hell no, I am not camping," Kara exclaimed, as if it were the only word she had heard.

"We'll sleep at my house. I'm sure Gran would like that, seeing as what happened last night," Adriane cocked her head in the direction of the cabin.

* * *

**Friday December 14. 10:35 PM**

Kara lounged comfortably on Adriane's bed, flipping through the channels on Adriane's ancient television.

"There's nothing on," she said, finally settling on the food network. She tossed the remote across the bed to Emily, who grunted in exhaustion. Months of early nights had made it impossible for her to stay up any later than 11:00. She was about ready to pass out.

Adriane sat cross-legged on the floor, fiddling with a pair of flying goggles. She examined them with strange look in her eyes, as if trying to decide whether to laugh or cry. Instead, she slipped them over her head, letting them fall around her neck.

Kara turned her head to the side lazily, smirking at the brunette. "Don't you think that's kind of like... wishful thinking?" she chastised.

"Shut up," Adriane growled, but knew that expecting a visit from anyone familiar was idealistic at best. She took the glasses off and shoved them into her brown faux-leather back pack.

"I'm just saying-"

Adriane's ears perked, a sudden tingling sensation falling over her entire body, "Wait, shut up," she held her hand up to Kara.

"Hey, that's not very-"

"Shut. Up," Adriane snipped, as a feeling—like a gust of wind—smashed through her chest cavity.

Emily sat up straight, suddenly alert, "The portal's open," she took the words right out of Adriane's mouth.

"What?!" Kara leapt from the bed, grabbing her tote from the floor. "This is way too soon," she said, slipping her feet into her moccasins.

"You can't feel it?" Emily asked, pulling on her denim jacket.

"No! Why is it that every time something magical is going down I'm always the last one to know?!" she exclaimed, as the group hurried out of the room.

Adriane slung her back pack over her shoulder, taking up the rear of the trio. She wrapped her scarf around her neck three times and was pulling on her gloves when she heard a door creek open, and a small voice ask:

"Little Wolf?"

Adriane froze.

"Where are you going?" Gran asked, walking up behind her.

Adriane turned, "I don't know," she admitted.

"Will you be home for dinner tomorrow?" Gran asked. She was in her pyjamas, wiry grey hair in a messy braid. She must have been in bed. Adriane hated worrying the woman.

"I..." Adriane glanced at the ceiling, "I don't know," she repeated.

"I see," the old woman said in a breathy exhale.

"I'm sorry,"

Gran smiled, "Take this," she said, pushing something into Adriane's hand. "For protection,"

Adriane gave her a weary smile. "Thank you," she accepted the item, hugging her grandmother.

"Adriane we have to go!" Emily called down the hall.

Adriane pulled back, "bye," she said simply, with a meek smile and a wave. A sudden jolt of confidence hit her as she made her way down the hall. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew that Gran would be there with her, giving her strength.

The girls ran through the woods, and Adriane couldn't help thinking that running felt good, comforting. Not scary or depressing like she had imagined all these years.

They slowed as they reached the mouth of the field.

"There it is," Kara breathed.

Emily gulped, meeting Adriane's gaze.

Anxiety filled the air like fog, and Adriane stepped forward, steeling herself as she lead the way towards the glittering orb in the middle of the field.

A familiar tingling fell over the trio. Magic. Wind gushed from the portal, battering the foliage relentlessly. Emily covered her eyes with her hand, and Kara covered her hair.

"What should we do?" Kara asked loudly.

"I don't know," Adriane replied.

A warm golden light shone from the portal, illuminating the multicoloured dream catcher in the centre. The girls approached with caution, fighting the wind.

Adriane squeezed the object in her hand and it crumpled fluidly. Against her better judgement, she pushed her hand through the glowing membrane, reaching for a power that somehow felt so familiar...

"Adriane, what are you-" Emily barely had time to warn before the girl was pulled through.

Kara took a step towards the portal.

"Kara!" Emily screeched.

"We have to go after her!" Kara whirled, "One jumps, we all jump," she said, holding her hand out to Emily.

The red head nodded, taking her friend's hand. They stepped towards the portal, and with deep breaths, jumped through.

* * *

**Finally! An update! This is really long, I know. I thought about breaking it into two chapters, but I thought that it flowed better all together. Some of the parts are pretty thin and rushed, and for that I am sorry. I'm not quite satisfied with the ending, either. But. You know how it is. I just finished the school semester! Yes! I have three weeks off! Writing! Will be done! **

**!**


	6. Chapter 6

Moonlight glittered off of the sand like beautiful red rubies. Two identical full moons rose solemnly in the violet sky. A melancholic silence fell over the girls, with nothing but the wind to keep them company. The landscape was serene—and threatening. The portal had, quite literally, dumped them in the middle of a desert. It was nighttime and even the breeze was dry and uncomfortable. Hostile looking scrub bushes pocked the sand like serrated scraps of charred cactus.

"It's hot!" Kara exclaimed, voice echoing off of ethereal mountains on the picturesque horizon. "It's like summer out here!" she said, removing her fuzzy white sweater.

Adriane immediately regretted her layers, stripping down to just her black tank-top and skinny jeans. As she pushed the clothing into her back pack, she realized that she had been clenching something in her fist all this time. The object that Gran had given her, Adriane hadn't even bothered to look at it. Only now did she dare open her hand to examine it. Laying, perfectly still in her palm, was a large chunk of smokey quartz. Raw and crystalline, it was fixed to a long silver chain that coiled and shifted fluidly. Adriane held the chain between her thumb and forefinger, lifting the crystal until it hung in the air. It danced slowly on the chain as moonlight glinted off of its smokey gun-metal inclusions.

'For protection' Gran had said, and Adriane barely remembered her mentioning it before: smokey quartz has physical protection properties. Though, she'd never seen this piece of jewelry before in the woman's collection. Adriane slipped the chain over her head, and tucked the stone inside of her shirt.

"I guess we're on Aldenmor, then," Emily said, kneeling to shove her jacket into her back pack. "I wish I had my water bottle,"

The girls fell silent, reminiscing on the horrors of the past twenty-four hours.

"This... is the stupidest thing we've ever done!" she exclaimed suddenly, throwing her hands into the air. "We're in the middle of the desert with no water, on a part of Aldenmor that we've never been to before! We're practically in the middle of no where. Do you know how long it takes a human to die from dehydration?!"

"Three days?" Kara grimaced, "Seriously morbid,"

"We're not in the middle of _no where_," Adriane replied, taking a complete three hundred and sixty degree look at her surroundings.

"I have a final on Wednesday," Emily said, running her hands through her hair.

"Relax," Adriane said, squinting into the distance. "You see that mountain range over there?" she pointed towards the rocky horizon. One lone mountain stood tall amongst the rest, even in the dark a red and yellow glow emerged from the top, illuminating the clouds in a sickly shade of green. "I think that that volcano is the Dragon Mouth. Which puts us in the Fire Desert,"

"How do you know that?" Emily whimpered from her spot in the sand.

"Zach gave me a map of Aldenmor. I had it on my wall for a long time," The space was now filled by a Pink Floyd poster, "I don't remember all of it, but the general shape is something like this," Adriane knelt, tracing the shape of three continents into the sand. Zig-zag shapes for mountains, cloud-like formations for forests. It was crude and it wasn't very detailed. Parts around the edges remained undefined, as she focused on the important parts: the area between themselves and the Garden.

"Adriane! You're a genius!" Emily cried, taking a spot beside Adriane.

"Yeah, great idea, Xena. Let's just walk to the Garden from here. We'll hike over those mountains with no food or water and no way of protecting ourselves," Kara quipped from over Adriane's shoulder. "Oh, I know, maybe we can survive off of prayers and positivity,"

Adriane sighed, making herself comfortable in the sand. "I'm not hearing any other solutions!"

"I say we wait here," Kara cocked her hip, adjusting her ponytail importantly. "We're way too _valuable_ to go unnoticed. Eventually someone will find us,"

Emily turned ashen, her already fair skin even paler than usual. "What if no one knows we're here?" she realized, eyes wide.

"Well, someone opened that portal," Kara said, fishing through her tote for her nail file, "I'm sure the fairimentals will find us. They're like, omniscient beings of elemental goodness. How could they not?"

Adriane frowned, sitting up on her knees, "What if someone else finds us first?!" she cried, "Like, maybe, I don't know, _magic tracking monsters_?!"

Kara remained silent, staring at Adriane with large, shocked blue eyes.

"Adriane," Emily squeaked.

"We're not safe here!" Adriane pushed, "We should at least try to get to those mountains! They're like, a night's walk away," she pointed with her hand.

"Adriane." Emily said.

"We have no cover here-"

"Adriane!"

"What?!" she snapped, throwing her hands in the air.

"You're glowing," Emily said, eyes wide.

"What?" Adriane repeated, staring down at her hands. "No I'm not,"

Kara spoke up as well. "No. Look. Like, fireflys," she pointed lazily with her nail file.

Adriane glanced around, moving on her knees to get a good look behind her. Sure enough, not inches behind her, were tiny glowing golden orbs. They were fiery bright and warm as the sun and seemed just as familiar as the golden light that came from the portal. Several orbs hovered around her, others floated past, settling around Emily and Kara like halos of sun light.

"What do you think they are?" Emily asked.

"More fairy wraiths?" Kara offered as the area filled with more tiny glowing specks, illuminating everything in a five foot radius.

The light danced off of the sand like a sea of fire, and for a moment the landscape was transformed into something truly beautiful. Adriane reached out a hand to touch the orb closest to her. Immediately it began to expand, consuming her in blinding yellow light. The others followed suit, illuminating the trio like a blazing sun. The landscape blinked and blurred for a moment, melting before their eyes into a vast unknown, then changed again.

They were no longer in the red-stained, sun-baked desert. Instead, their surroundings resembled something similar to their home. Lush grass carpeted the forest floor, trees that strongly resembled ceder and pine stood tall like sentinels of protection. Wolves of every size and colour circled them in a large ring.

"Where are we?" Emily asked breathlessly.

A comforting breeze blew in from the shadows of the forest, rustling Emily's short auburn hair like her mother did when she was a child.

After a moment Adriane responded, voice low and breathy with shock "Pack home," she squinted. These wolves all seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had run with them in her dreams. But none of them sported Dreamer's gleaming white star marking, nor did any of them resemble the pack leader or his mate.

A roar from behind them made her stop. Time slowed and her heart pounded as the trio turned towards the deafening noise.

Behind them stood a red dragon, impossibly huge and more magnificent than anything they had ever seen. Before him stood a mismatched group of creatures, waiting to greet them on their journey.

"Holy shit," Adriane gaped.

* * *

**I'm sorry for leaving you guys at yet another cliff hanger. I'm sorry that I swear like a pirate.**

**I really did consider continuing this chapter. Really, I did. But I felt like this was just such a satisfying note to end it on. And I kind of felt like I wouldn't get a chance to end it on a better note than that. If that makes sense. I spent forever describing the desert, and ultimately ended up cutting most of it. ): I felt that it all seemed kind of silly and annoying. Oh well. I enjoyed writing the interactions between the girls in this. I'd like to think that I portray Kara as a super sassy lady. I hope that that's coming through! Emily is freaking out, and I don't blame her. If I had an exam in less than a week, I'd also be freaking out.**

**As always, remember to send me a review. I hope you dig it!**


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